Galleries

Peter Wolf on the Prowl at the Infinity Music Hall

Peter Wolf, of The J. Geils Band fame, brought his Midnight Travelers to the InfinityMusic Hall and Bistro in Norfolk CT Saturday night May 22 for what could only be described as one hell of a show! Wolf will return to his role as The J. Geils Band’s front man on August 14 for a gig at FenwayPark in Boston opening for another famous Boston Band-Aerosmith. But until then he’s out promoting his new CD, the first in eight years, “Midnight Souvenirs.”

Wolf played from 9 pm until 10:15 then commenced to do 30 minutes of encores! The setlist included:

'Growin’ Pain'

'Long Line'

'Long Way Back Again'

Then he gave a nod to the Everly Brothers and played 'I’m Always Asking For You'

'I Don’t Want to Know'

He told the crowd the story of first meeting Muddy Waters at Club 47 where he waited outside for Muddy to drive up and when he did, Muddy thought he was with the club and told Peter to start unloading the amps! Wolf continued the story by describing being in the bathroom with Otis Spann and James Cotton as Cotton was trying to explain to Spann that a “Coffeehouse” doesn’t serve liquor. Spann was very disappointed so Wolf volunteered to go buy some Whiskey! The story led into “Homework.”

Wolf plowed into another story about John Lee Hooker. Hooker was playing at the Odyssey Coffeehouse and being paid by the door—it held 300 people but only 40 people were there, so Wolf asked if his band at the time “The Hallucinations” could play too. Hooker agreed and ask Wolf to meet him at the Lennox Hotel after the show. Wolf gets there and there’s the great John Lee Hooker lying on one bed, his guitar carefully taking up the other bed and Hooker watching “Lassie” on TV. Hooker turned to Wolf and said “That Lassie is one mutherfuckin’ smart dog!”

“Cry One More Time” followed

“Greenfields of Summer” (which he recorded with Neko Case)

“Wastin’ My Time”

“Tragedy” (recorded with Shelby Lynne)

He got the crowd dancing in the aisles with “Night Time” and talked to the crowd about smoking medicinal cigarettes and watching the Weather Channel for like 3 hours and calling your friends cuz’ there’s clouds over the Midwest and it’s the greatest thing your ever saw!

He dedicated the next song to drinking Ballantine Ale XXX and Willie Deville-“Riverside Drive.”

The crowd jumped to their feet again when the Travelers played two notes of “Love Stinks”. Wolf kept them on their feet with “Lookin’ For Love.” Wolf closed the set with Will Jenning’s “There’s Still Time.”

Wolf and the Midnight Travelers returned for Encores of:

“Waitin on the Moon”

“Musta Got Lost”

“Start All Over’

“First I Look At The Purse”

Wolf brought the evening to a close with only Duke Levine (in photo to the right) and Kevin Barry on stage with him as he sang the song on his new CD that he recorded with Merle Haggard-“ It’s too Late For Me.”

I was lucky enough to see Wolf twice on this CD tour and I can only hope to see him a few more times. This guy can still “Blow Your Face Out!”

Roy Sludge opened for Wolf. He played for 30 minutes and included classics like Cash’s “Ring of Fire’; Merle Travis’ “16 Tons” and The Fraternity of Man’s “Don’t Bogart Me (That Joint)” which he turned into a sing-a-long with the crowd. When the men sang alone Sludge said “It sounds like a sausage factory in here.” He closed with Maine native Dick Curliss’ “Tombstone Every Mile.”